Mills Lake, Black Lake, Frozen Lake Trail

Mills Lake, Black Lake, Frozen Lake Trail is a 11.4 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Estes Park, CO that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible from May until November. Horses are also able to use this trail.

this was an amazing hike it took us 6 1/2 to get to Black Lake bring your yak tracks because it is very icy as you get closer to the second Lake what a beautiful hike hardly took any breaks so expect almost a full day of it so worth it

Beautiful lake, Jewel Lake is next to Mills but much smaller. Views from both are incredible. We took trail from Bear lake to Dream and went up to Haiyaha then on to Mills. Uphill to haihaya but down hill from there to the junction. It's a decent climb up to Mills from the fork.

We hiked Mills Lake in Late September and have nothing but great things to say about this hike (we did not continue to Black Lake or Frozen Lake). Mills Lake is moderately difficult but rewards you greatly in the end with a sublime view left left us speechless. The way the trees reflect off the water is amazing. We also did Emerald Lake on our trip to RMNP and would say that the view here is superior. This epitomizes what you come to RMNP to see!

My brother an I hiked this trail on 10/14. We started off around 9:40 am from Bear Lake parking lot because the Glacier Gorge trailhead lot was full. We arrived back to the car at 5:00pm. It was a little windy that day but the hike was much more picturesque than the scenery we're used to in Cleveland. We put microspikes on about 1/4 of a mile from Black Lake and wore them for the remainder of the hike.

After Black Lake the trail becomes much less visible (the snow cover doesn't help) and we were unfortunately never able to find Frozen Lake after an additional 45 minutes to an hour of hiking. We ended up running into a solo hiker (not recommended up there) who also was having the same issue. Looking back on Google maps afterwards it looks like we might have veered too much to the right climbing up and the terrain. In this time we also saw a decent sized paw print in the fresh snow (3-4 days) that appeared to be that of a bobcat or mountain lion. Aside from that, we saw some chipmunks, trout, and elk when we were driving out.

Amazing. The first snow of the year was melting as we climbed. The left ridge was glistening so brightly it was difficult to gaze for long. Wildlife included birds, trout, blue grouse and moose in one trip.

This hike was so much fun and not strenuous! I went 9/17/16 and saw very beautiful foliage. Definitely a photo opp trail. There were quite a few people on the trail, but not so many as to ruin a peaceful hike. Bring a lunch and have a rest on the rocks once you get to Mills Lake!

This has been my favorite hike so far, not because it was pretty easy, but because the scenery surrounding it was amazing. The beauty of the lakes by the mountains never fails to mesmerize me. I went fairly early in the morning so it was super peaceful, definitely gave it extra points.

Sherri B.

Nice hike, the area near Mills Lake is gorgeous!! Busy trail, & mosquitoes were pretty bad, Nice falls on the way there

Karen S.

hiking

3 months ago

We went from Glacier Gorge TH to a little pass Jewel lake and turned around 8 miles total. Great views. We started at 530am and there was parking available. Surprised that there was as many hikers to Mills lake.

Jerrid L.

This was the best hike yet! You get Alberta falls, wonderful scenic overlooks into the valley, awesome rugged peaks, beautiful lakes, peaceful hiking through the conifers, and Mills Lake itself is very accessible unlike some of the others. The trail generally rises fairly gently and was a real pleasure. don't missed this one!